Erie Courthouse cook pleads guilty to being self-taught

Wednesday

The first thing you need to know about cooking like Lisa Heidelberg is to just let yourself be you and get after it. All self-judgments, second-guessing and negative thoughts best stand back, because this woman doesn't have time for them.

She really doesn't. Chef Lisa, as she likes to be called, cooks all the food you can buy at the Courthouse Cafe, in the Erie County Courthouse, Mondays through Fridays. She is a personal chef to several clients, and she caters events, preparing everything out of her commercial kitchen on West Eighth Street.

A kitchen that doesn't even have a stove.

Five things I learned:

1. You don't even need a stove. Heidelberg has two electric cooktops that sit on a counter and she plugs them in whenever she needs to pan-fry or saute. She has three or four multi-cookers (Instant Pots), including one Ninja-brand machine I took for a canister vacuum. That thing is a beast.

"My Instant Pots are my besties," she said.

The stove has to wait. Probably for a while. It would require ancillary work to meet city building codes that could top $10,000 and she's renting. So the cooktops stay.

"I have learned to get around it," she said.

She also has a double convection oven, a refrigerator and a freezer. She keeps a roughly 20-square-foot section of wall painted in chalkboard paint, where she lays out her weekly schedule. In front of her cooktops on another section of wall, she has the same information and a clock in the shape of a KitchenAid stand mixer.

"I was raised by Southern women," she said. "I don't do 1 tablespoon of this, one cup of that. No, I just put some of this in and some of that in. Sorry."

She's not sorry.

3. She's sorry Majestic Bakery closed. That's where she got the rolls she used for her pulled pork. It closed recently, but she's adjusting, and so far likes what she's been getting from Bill's Bakery, 1825 W. 26th St. She showed off a loaf of Italian bread she'd torn a piece off for herself as breakfast that morning and complained about how nervous she was to have a reporter and photographer with her.

"I find that I'm getting requests to do cooking demos and I'm terrified of them, but I figure since my goal is to get my own TV show, I'd better get over that, huh?" she said with a laugh.

Heidelberg is a little apologetic about her background."I'm not a graduate of any cooking school," she said. "I went to the CIG, the Culinary Institute of my Grandmother. That's my story. Anybody can do this."

4. Heidelberg said she started cooking to release stress. "I wasn't born cooking," she said. "But when my daughter was born, I thought, 'Oh my God, there's someone who is depending on me.' And I was desperate to give her the best I could in the world."

She explained all this while cooking wild sockeye salmon fillets over one of the cooktops, in a copper frying pan, which she had oiled as it heated. She explained that once the fish is in the pan, you don't want to move it until it's properly seared.

"The secret here is don't touch anything," she said, as she barreled ahead on the Wedgy Salad she was to serve with the salmon. Taking a whole head of lettuce, she slammed it, root side down, onto the cutting board, dislodging the core, no knife required. It was impressive. And a little frightening. But, sure enough, out came the core and she cut the head into wedges.

She'd check on the salmon periodically, poking a spatula gently underneath once piece to see if it would loosen, adding that she doesn't like it cooked all the way through, though some do. When she thought it was ready, she flipped each piece and went back to the salad.

She had already made the blue cheese dressing, so she simply dipped a ladle into the bowl and let it spill over the light greens, sprinkling the top with bacon bits, craisins, chopped scallions, magically finishing at the same time as the salmon, which she artfully positioned on the plate with the salad. CIG or no, the woman has skills.

5. Heidelberg said she tries to cook healthy food, but to her what's more important than calories and fat grams are foods made with real ingredients and served in moderation. "Food is supposed to be satisfying," she said. "I like to find fun ways to sneak in healthy ingredients."

She listed her Turkey Taco Soup, Curry Chicken Wrap and Salmon served on Cauliflower Steaks as examples. "It's healthy, but not overly so," she said. "It's familiar, but it's elevated, with my twist on it."

Jennie Geisler writes about her adventures as a home cook. You can reach her at 870-1885. Send email to jennie.geisler@timesnews.com. Follow her on Twitter at www.twitter.com/ETNgeisler.

Chef Lisa's Cajun Salmon

• 4 (6-ounce) salmon fillets

• 1 tablespoon Chef Lisa's Cajun Seafood rub, recipe follows

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Rub each fillet with some of the seafood rub.

Heat frying pan over medium-high heat and add oil. When the pan is hot, add salmon, skin-side down. Allow it to cook three to four minutes, or until skin releases from the pan with a spatula. Turn over and cook 3 to 4 more minutes. Fish should release from the pan when it is properly seared. Don't overcook.

Remove from pan and serve.

Lisa Heidelberg

Chef Lisa's Cajun Seafood Rub

• 1 tablespoon lemon zest, dried

• 1 tablespoon onion powder

• 1 tablespoon garlic powder

• 1 tablespoon dried thyme

• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

• 1 teaspoon salt

• Healthy pinch of cayenne

Mix and store in air-tight container.

Note: Amounts estimated.

Lisa Heidelberg

Chef Lisa's Blue Cheese dressing

• 4 ounces blue cheese crumbles

• 2 cups buttermilk

• 2 teaspoons fresh dill

• 2 teaspoons fresh, chopped parsley

• 1 teaspoon fresh, chopped oregano

• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste

• 2 tablespoons chopped chives

Stir and refrigerate in airtight container for up to two weeks.

Lisa Heidelberg

Chef Lisa's Wedgy Salad

• 1 quarter wedge iceberg lettuce

• 2-3 tablespoons Chef Lisa's Blue Cheese dressing

• 2 tablespoons crisp bacon, crumbled

• 2 tablespoons craisins (dried, sweetened cranberries)

• Tomatoes, chopped, to taste

• Fresh chopped scallions for garnish

Arrange lettuce wedge on a dinner-sized plate and drizzle with dressing.

Layer other ingredients on and around the wedge.

Lisa Heidelberg

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